Rabbit Is Breathing Oddly?

Question
Hi,

So, I am not totally sure if this is a breathing problem, but I've observed for about almost a day now (night to morning) that my rabbit has been moving oddly while breathing.

To clarify, she has been eating, drinking, playing around, etc. I don't hear any noise/wheezing or anything while she breathes. This is different from rapid breathing, because it looks like she sways/rocks very slightly back and forth while breathing. Should this be a concern?

It's hard to describe, but the best description I can give you is that she sways/rocks back and forth (while breathing) just like after a rabbit has done a lot of running or exercise...however, it's very slow and not rapid.

It's not easy to tell unless she's laying down or sitting still, then I could see her body rock very slightly forwards and backwards.

Thank You!

Answer
Dear Hayley,

It's difficult for me to picture this, but it sounds as if she's just taking deep enough breaths to cause her to rock a little bit as her chest expands against the floor (or whatever she's lying on).  As long as she is not showing any difficulty breathing, this isn't an emergency.  But it might not be a bad idea to schedule a wellness check with your trusted rabbit vet and ask about having a chest radiograph taken to be sure she is not suffering any type of congestion (or a mass, such as a thymoma) that would make her need to take deeper breaths than normal.

It could be that in this warmer weather she's panting a little.  But I can't tell without seeing a video.

In any case, if you are concerned, then I would get her to an experienced rabbit vet for a wellness check to be sure there are no underlying problems that are best addressed early.

Hope this helps.

Dana